List of Irish ballads

Politics and soldiering

Anti-war and anti-recruiting

• "Arthur McBride" – an anti-recruiting song from Donegal, probably originating during the 17th century.
• "The Recruiting Sergeant" – song from the time of World War 1, popular among the Irish Volunteers of that period, written by Séamus O'Farrell in 1915, recorded by The Pogues.
• "Mrs. McGrath" – popular among the Irish Volunteers, 1916
• "The Saxon Shilling" – written by K. T. Buggy, 1840s
• "Sergeant William Bailey" – written by Peadar Kearney, recorded by Dominic Behan and Maeve Mulvany Moore
• "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye" – very old anti-war song
• "Who Is Ireland's Enemy?" - written by Brian O'Higgins in response to the First World War, this poem was one of the more visceral of the anti-recruitment literary response.

  16th and 17th centuries

• "Alasdair MacColla" – song dating from the 1640s about warrior Alasdair MacColla. Still performed by Capercaillie and Clannad.
• "Follow me up to Carlow" – about Fiach MacHugh O'Byrne and the Second Desmond Rebellion against Elizabeth I of England, written in the 19th century by P.J. McCall
• "The Woods of Trugh" – concerning Eoin Roe O'Neill
• "Seán Ó Duibhir a'Ghleanna" – an Irish-language song dealing with the aftermath of the Battle of Aughrim in 1691, Roud Index no. 16907. Translated by George Sigerson.
• "Jackets Green" – written by poet Michael Scanlon about Patrick Sarsfield and the Flight of the Wild Geese
• "The Battle of Benburb" – recalling the Battle of Benburb fought on 5 June 1646 and concerning the exploits of Owen Roe O'Neill and his commanders. The song is most notably sung by Tommy Makem.
• "The Sash" – recalling the Boyne and other battles
• "On the green grassy slopes of the Boyne" – about the Battle of the Boyne
• "Carraigdhoun" – song about the 1690s Wild Geese written by Denny Lane in the 1840s. Recorded by Mary O'Hara, the McPeake family and Kathleen Behan to the same melody as "The Mountains of Mourne."
• "The Green Flag" – written by Young Irelander, Michael Joseph Barry about the Irish Confederate Wars.

  18th century

• "Clare's Dragoons" – written by Thomas Davis about one of the divisions of the Irish Brigades.
• "Mo Ghile Mear" – written by Seán Clárach Mac Domhnaill, it is a lament by the Gaelic goddess Éire for Bonnie Prince Charlie, who was then in exile.
• "Gaol of Clonmel" – translation by Jeremiah Joseph Callanan of the Irish-language "Príosún Chluain Meala", a song from the time of the Whiteboys

  1798 Rebellion

• "Bagenal Harvey's Farewell " – song about rebel leader Bagenal Harvey
• "Ballyshannon Lane" – about a battle between rebels and Hessians in 1798 in Wexford, written by Michael O'Brien, about 1896
• "Billy Byrne of Ballymanus" – about one of the leaders of the rebellion
• "Boolavogue" – song about Father John Murphy, one of the leaders of the Wexford rebels, written by P.J. McCall for the centenary anniversary in 1898
• "Boys of '98" – modern song written by New York band Shillelagh Law
• "The Boys of Wexford" – written by P.J. McCall
• "By Memory Inspired" – a tributary role-call of many of the rebel heroes who died in the rebellion, anonymous, recorded by Frank Harte
• "Come All You Warriors – song written close to the time of the rebellion upon which later songs such as Boolavogue were based.
• "The Croppy Boy" – There are at least two songs by this name: "It was early, early in the spring..." and "Good men and true in this house...". They are concerned with the period following the suppression of the rebellion and how the climate of repression saw relatives and close family deny any links to condemned rebels for fear of being deemed guilty by association.
• "Croppies Lie Down" – a Unionist or Orangeman's perspective on the rebels triumphant defeat
• "Dunlavin Green" – a local ballad written in response to the Massacre of Dunlavin Green of 24 May 1798
• "General Munroe", "Henry Munroe", "General Munroe's Lamentation" and "Henry Joy" – all songs about the United Irish leader Henry Joy McCracken.
• "The Heroes of '98" – patriotic song by Bruce Scott.
• "Irish Soldier Laddie" – modern song about the events of 1798, written by Paddy McGuigan of the Barleycorn
• "Jimmy Murphy" – song of music hall origin with distinctly unusual chorus
• "Kelly of Killanne" – ballad by P.J. McCall, recounting the exploits of John Kelly, one of the most popular leader of the Wexford rebels.
• "The Liberty Tree" – anonymous United Irishmen ballad in praise of the French Revolution
• "The Man from God Knows Where" – poem by Florence Wilson about Thomas Russell, leader of the United Irishmen in Ulster, executed in Downpatrick in 1803
• "The Memory of the Dead" – ballad recalling the rebellion's heroes by John Kells Ingram
• "The Minstrel Boy" – in remembrance of a number of friends of Thomas Moore who lost their lives in the rebellion
• "The Rambler from Clare"
• "Races of Castlebar", epic of French rider in the streets of Castlebar
• "The Rising of the Moon" – written by John Keegan Casey in the 1860s, this ballad invokes the hope and optimism surrounding the outbreak of the Irish rebellion of 1798.
• "Roddy McCorley" – ballad by Ethna Carbery lamenting the execution of the young County Antrim Presbyterian rebel, Roddy McCorley.
• "The Sean-Bhean Bhocht" – the "poor old woman", Ireland, is about to be liberated in tandem with the French; also known as "The French are on the Sea"
• "Sliabh na mBan" – an Irish-language song composed by Michéal O Longáin of Carrignavar and translated by Seamus Ennis, about the massacre in July 1798 of a party of Tipperary insurgents at Carrigmoclear on the slopes of Slievenamon
• "Tone's Grave" – lament for Wolfe Tone, United Irish leader, the ballad is more commonly known as "Bodenstown Churchyard". Written by Thomas Davis, one of the leaders of Young Ireland movement.
• "The Wake of William Orr"
• "The Wearing of the Green" – song about repression after the rebellion
• "The Wind That Shakes the Barley" – a young man's remorse at leaving his lady love to join the United Irishmen is cut short when she is killed by an English bullet. Written by Robert Dwyer Joyce.

  19th century

• "An Spailpín Fánach", relating to the time of the Irish Brigades in France. The air is "The Girl I Left Behind". Translated by George Sigerson as "The Roving Worker"
• "A Nation Once Again" – 19th-century Irish nationalist anthem by Thomas Davis
• "Avenging and Bright" – patriotic song by Thomas Moore
• "Down by the Glenside " – song by Peadar Kearney about the 19th-century Fenians
• "The Bold Fenian Men" – song about the Fenians by poet Michael Scanlon, recorded by the Wolfe Tones
• "The Felons of Our Land" – written by Arthur Forrester of County Monaghan
• "The Fields of Athenry" – 1970s song by Pete St. John about the Great Irish Famine
• "God Save Ireland"- Irish nationalist anthem, written by T. D. Sullivan in 1867 about the Manchester Martyrs
• "The Lament for Owen Roe" – Song by Thomas Davis, based on an older tune by Turlough O'Carolan, lamenting the death of Owen Roe O'Neill in 1649
• "Let Erin Remember" – written by Thomas Moore.
• "The Manchester Martyrs" – also called "The Smashing of the Van", song about the Manchester Martyrs
• "McCafferty" – a broadside ballad relating the true story of an Irish soldier who shot dead two of his British officers
• "The Harp that Once Through Tara's Halls" – anthem of County Meath – one of Moore's Melodies
• "Patrick Sheehan " – by Charles Kickham, based on the true story of an Irish soldier wounded in the Crimean War.
• "She Is Far From The Land" – written by Thomas Moore.
• Skibbereen – a 19th-century song by Patrick Carpenter recalling the Irish Famine of 1845–1847.
• "The West's Awake" – written by Thomas Davis.
• "O'Donnell Abu" – written in 1843 by Michael Joseph MacCann, about Rory O'Donnell, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell
• "Ye Men of Sweet Liberties Hall" – written by Dubliner Zozimus

  Napoleonic Wars

• "The Bonny Bunch of Roses"
• "Bonny Light Horseman" – collected by Sam Henry and others, recorded by Frank Harte, Planxty, Dolores Keane & John Faulkner
• "Eighteenth of June" – recorded by Frank Harte
• "Grand Conversation on Napoleon"
• "Granuaile" – recorded by Frank Harte
• "The Green Linnet"
• "Isle of Saint Helena"
• "Lonely Waterloo" – recorded by Frank Harte, Daithi Sproule
• "Napoleon Bonaparte"
• "Napoleon's Dream"
• "Napoleon's Farewell to Paris" – recorded by Frank Harte
• "Napoleon's Lamentation"
• "The Plains of Waterloo" – several songs by this name, including "As I rode out one bright summer's morning...", "On the fourteenth day of June, me boys...".
• "The Royal Eagle"
• "Wounded Hussar"
• "Welcome Napoleon to Erin" – recorded by Frank Harte

  The Great War 1914–1918

• "The Connaght Rangers" – by Charles Martin. Not to be confused with the song of the same name by Brian Warfield which refers to the mutiny of the First Battalion of the regiment in response to the Irish war of independence.
• "Gallipoli"
• "Salonika" – there were two Cork songs with this title about the Irish serving in the British Army in the First World War, one for and one against. Jimmy Crowley collected the verses in his version from Mrs Ronayne of County Cork.

  1916 Rising

• "Erin Go Bragh" – written in 1920 by Peadar Kearney, recorded by The Dubliners
• "Arbour Hill" – about the burial place of 1916 leaders
• "Foggy Dew" – about the Easter Rising of 1916, written by Canon Charles O'Neill about 1922.
• "Dying Rebel" – about the finding of a dying Irish rebel from County Cork in Dublin during the 1916 Easter Rising It was recorded in 1961 by Patricia Blake and by Tommy Drennan and the Monarchs in 1966.
• "James Connolly" – written by Patrick Galvin about James Connolly, labour leader
• "Grace" – written by Frank and Seán O'Meara in 1985, named after Grace Gifford, wife of 1916 leader Joseph Plunkett
• "Dublin City 1913" – the struggle from 1913 to 1916, written by Donagh MacDonagh
• "Oró Sé do Bheatha 'Bhaile" – originally a jacobite tune, it later received new verses and was popularised by nationalist poet Padraic Pearse
• "The Lonely Banna Strand"